2019 Manbij bombing
*10 civilians *1 US soldier *1 US sailor *1 American contractor *1 DOD civilian employee *5 local escorts|injuries=3 US servicemen|target=American military personnel|perps= Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |weapons=Bomb}} The Manbij bombing occurred on 16 January 2019 when a suicide bomber targeted a busy market street in Manbij known to be frequented by American soldiers. Background In the Syrian Civil War, the city of Manbij was taken by the Free Syrian Army in 2012, and then by ISIS in 2014. In 2016, the city was taken by the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the Manbij offensive. The Palace of the Princes restaurant was popular with Americans, located on a crowded downtown street in Manbij. U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jeanne Shaheen ate there when they visited Syria in July 2018. The attack Several American military personnel were inside the Palace of Princes restaurant when a suicide bomber triggered an explosion outside the restaurant around midday on Wednesday, 16 January 2019. The bomber mixed into a crowd of people visiting a nearby vegetable market and detonated his explosive vest near the restaurant entrance, igniting a fireball that left the dead and wounded scattered in the street. Rescue workers rushed the wounded to the hospital, and military helicopters landed on a nearby soccer field to take the dead and wounded Americans. Casualties The Department of Defense released a statement on 18 January 2019, identifying their three employees: a soldier, a sailor, and an intelligence expert. Defense contractor Valiant Integrated Services identified one of their employees as the fourth American killed. The four deceased Americans were: * Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida. Farmer was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. * Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, of upstate New York. Kent was assigned to Cryptologic Warfare Activity 66, based at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. * DOD civilian intelligence officer Scott A. Wirtz of St. Louis, Missouri. Wirtz was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as an operations support specialist. * Civilian contractor Ghadir Taher of East Point, Georgia. Taher worked for Valiant Integrated Services as an interpreter and cook for U.S. troops in Syria. The total death toll is believed to be 19, including 15 local SDF fighters. Three other American servicemen were also injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility. Aftermath , Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attend the Dignified Transfer of Remains Ceremony, 19 January 2019]] U.S. President Donald Trump paid tribute to the fallen Americans during a trip to Dover Air Force Base in the US state of Delaware on 19 January, where their remains were received. A second joint convoy of U.S. and allied Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria was hit in al-Hasakah 5 days later, there were no casualties, with two Kurdish fighters were lightly wounded in the blast. References Category:2019 crimes in Syria Category:2019 murders in Asia Category:2010s murders in Syria Category:Aleppo Governorate in the Syrian Civil War Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Syria Category:Attacks on restaurants in Asia Category:Conflicts in 2019 Category:Crime in Aleppo Governorate Category:ISIL terrorist incidents in Syria Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2019 Category:January 2019 crimes in Asia Category:January 2019 events in Syria Category:Mass murder in 2019 Category:Mass murder in Syria Category:Suicide bombings in 2019 Category:Suicide bombings in Syria Category:Terrorist incidents in Asia in 2019 Category:Terrorist incidents in Syria in the 2010s